Signaling system.



PATENTED OCT. 2,5, 1904.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 22. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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Uni-TED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

VPATENT OFFICE.- v

HOWELL WQ sOUDER, OF TAMAQALPENNSYLVANIA. AssicNoR OF ONE-v HALF To W. D. ZnHNEa OF LANsFoRD, PENNSYLVANIA.

s lGNAL-NG SYSTEM.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of YLetters Patent N o. 773,039, dated October 25, 1904.

l Application filed October 22,1902.` Serial No. 128,280. (No model.)

To all zuil/ont t may concermf f Beit known that I, HOWELL W. SOUDER, a

citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Tamaqua, Schuylkill county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates in general to electric signaling systems, and more specifically consists of an improved system and apparatus for use on single trackelectric trolley roads which are divided into a plurality of signalblocks.

The invention herein described contains many of the features of that described in my` pendingapplication, Serial No. 99,969, filed March 25, 1902, and more specifically shown in Figure 3 of the drawings of said application;4

together with certain features of improvement thereon.

The best arrangement of circuits and apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, it being understood, howy trolley-wire or portion thereof constitutingY ever, that the circuit-controllers, contactmaking devices, 6to., are not therein shown.4

in all the details of practical construction.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents ,a

one block between the turnouts lc and 1', the said trolley-wireand other wires extending from one endr to the other of the block being shown broken away in the middle. At eachextend branches 32131), 3x, and 3y to' different parts of the signaling system. The branch 3 when completed'through the contact 2 extends throughthe coils of the magnet 5i and one of the resistances 4 4, &c., to the ground. The branch `3b when completed through the contact device 2b extends to the resetting circuit-wire 6 and also by a branch through the coils of the magnet 5y, wire 17, to the contact- 5x, and 5y, respectively.

piece 142e. The branch 3X when completed through the contact device 2x extends through the magnet 5X and to the ground. The branch 3y when completed through the contact device 2y extends to the resetting circuit-wire 6 and by a branch through the magnet 5b, wire 18, to contact-piece 14W.

8 is the main signaling-conductor, which extends the length of the block and has a proper number of incandescent electric lampsl 22 22, &c., connected in series therewith and also a corresponding' number of permanentlyclosed metallic shunt-circuits 79 79, one about each lamp, of a much higher resistance than the said lamps, said lamps being preferably spaced'at approximately equal intervals along said conductor throughout the block. The

extremities of `said main conductor 8 are connected to the vibrating arms 11e and 11v of the circuit-controlling devices located at either end of the block. Branches 9e and 9v from either end of the conductor 8 extend to the contact-pieces 12e and 12V`of said circuit-controllers, and included in said branches are lamps 22e and 22W, which preferably have no resistances in shunt therewith. The circuitcontrolling devices also have vibrating members 13e and 13W, adapted to coperate alternately with the contact-pieces12e 14e and 12w and 14". p The circuit-controllers are rotated in opposite directions by means of the pivoted levers 20, 20h, 20x, and 205', which coperate, respectively, with the toothed wheels 21e and 21"' and are actuated by means of the armatures 19, 19", 19x, and 19y, which are within the radius of attraction of the magnets 5, 5b, The contact-piece 10e, which cooperates with the arm l1e of the least circuitcontroller device, :is connected with the feed-wire 7 by wire 1.5, and similarly the contact-piece 10W is connected by the wire 16 with said feed-wire 7.

Preferably the lamps :22, 85o., are colored green, while the lamps 22e' and 22 are colored red. The operation of my'invention is as follows: With the circuit-controllers in the positions shown in full lines the main signaling-conductor 8 is grounded at each end and no current is passing through same. If now a car enters the east end-of the block, the motorman, who can see the red lamp 220 and the first green lamp 22, will observe that neither of them is glowing and will know, accordingly, that the block ahead of him is empty. After passing the red lamp 22e the trolley-wheel of his car will take the right-hand branch of the frog F and close the circuit through the contact-making device 2". This will energize the magnet 5fL and rotate the east circuit-controller into the position shown in dotted lines. This completes the circuit through feed connection 15 to main conductor 8 and through branch 9"' thereofl to the ground. This causes all the green lamps to glow and also the red lamp 22"'. Accordingly the motorman of a car approaching the west end of the block on the turnout 1"' will see the red lamp 22" glowing and remain on the turnout until the first car comes out. The motorman of a car following the first car, however, and approaching the east end of the block will sce the iirst green lamp glowing, but the red lamp 22e dead. He will know, accordingly, that there is a car in the block ahead of him going in the same direction and will follow or remain on the switch, according to his instructions. 'When the first ear approaches the west end of the block,'its trolleyewheel will again go to the right side of the frog F' and coperate with contact device 2y to complete the circuit through the feed branch 3". This will send the current through the resetting circuit-wire 6 and coils of magnet 5y, wire 17, contactpiece 14e, and wire 13eg to the ground. This energizes the magnet 5", operates pawl or lever 20)', and returns the circuit-controller to the position shown in full lines, thereby cutting out the feed branch and leaving all lamps dead and the system in the condition originally described. If a car backs out of the block, its trolley-wheel takes the right-hand branch and cooperates with the contact device 2h or 2y to produce the same result. If, however, a second ear has entered the block trailing the first car, it will have advanced the east circuit-controller one tooth farther. Accordingly the first car in passing out will set the circuit-controller back only one tooth and not change the connections. The green lamps and the red lamp 22"' will continue to glow, and as the motorman of the lirst car will see the red lamp continue to glow after his trolley-wheel has passed the frog F he will know that one or more cars are trailing him. If one of the lamps 22 burns out, the current will be shunted through its corresponding resistance and the efficiency of the system will remain otherwise unimpaired. each resistance being so graduated with reference to its companion lamp as to permit the flow of suflicient current through it to retain the remaining lamps in glow and at the same time prevent the flow of such excess of current as would destroy the remaining lamps. If the red lamp 22"' burns out, it will disable the system for cars traveling from east to west, but will leave it still operative for cars traveling from west to east-that is to say, when a car enters from the east the green lamps will not light up, the motorman will know that the system is not working, and his instructions will require him to back out and wait on the turnout till further orders.

The advantages of my invention comprise its cheapness, in that a series connection of the lamps is alone necessary, combined with avoidance of the total disarrangement of the entire system by the breaking of one lamp, which would follow in other series systems, and the lengthened life of the signal-lamps which results from the slight reduction of voltage produced by the introduction of the shunt resistances; the completeness of the information given to the motorman as to the condition of the block by the different combinations of the red and green signals; the freedom of the system from disarrangement when a car is backed out of the block; the capacity of the system to handle any number of cars in the block going in the same direction, and the convenient arrangement of the signal-lamps such that the motorman always has the important signal in front of him and at no time is required to look back to determine the condition of the block ahead or block be hind him.

It is understood, of course, that various changes can be made in the details of the constructions employed to carry out my system, such as circuit-controllers, contact-making devices, &c. These have not been illustrated in working detail, but have been shown in skeleton only. Any convenient form of device for producing the desired making, breaking, and shifting of circuits may of course be elnployed. The details of the arrangement and coloring` of the lamps may also be varied in certain ways--such` for instance, as in the location and use of shunt resistances, &c.\vhile still retaining the distinctive features of operation of my invention or some of them.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric signaling system the combination of a signal-circuit, a plurality of incandescent electric lamps connected in series in said circuit, and a permanently-closed111etallic shunt-circuit about each lamp of considerably higher resistance than said lamp.

2. In an electric signaling system the combination of a signal-circuit, a plurality of incandescent electric lamps connected in series in said circuit, and a permanently-closed metallic shunt-circuit about each lamp of considerably higher resistance than said lamp, ground connections at cach end of the main lOO conductor, and a lamp Without a resistanceshunt 1n each of said ground connections.

3. In a slgnalin-g system for a railroad di- .vided into a plurality of signal-blocks, the

` shunt resistance in-each ground connection,

and circuit-controlling devices adapted to be operated by a car entering the block to close the feed connection and open the ground connection at the end of the block at which the car enters. f

4. In a signaling system for a railroad divided into a plurality' of signal-blocks, the combination of a main conductor extending along each block, a plurality-of incandescent electric lamps connected in series With said conductor, a permanentlyclosed metallic shunt-circuit about each lamp-of considerably higher resistance than said lamp, a normally closed ground connection at each end` of the main conductor, a normally open feed connection at each end ofthe main conductor, and

circuit-controlling devices adapted to be oper-\ ated by a car entering the block to close the feed connection and open the ground connection at the end of the block at Which the car enters.

5. In a signaling system for a railroad di- ,vided into a plurality of signal-blocks, the

combination of a main conductor extending along each block, a plurality of incandescent electric lamps connected in series with said conductor, a permanently closed metallic shunt-circuit about each lamp of considerably higher resistance thansaid-lamp, a normally closed ground connection at each end of the main conductor, a normally open feed connection at each end of the main conductor,l

and circuit-controlling devices adapted to be operated by a car entering the block to close the feed connection and open the ground connection at the end of the block at which the car enters together With an incandescent lamp Without'a resistance-shunt included in each ground connection.

6. In a signaling system, the combination of a main signaling-conductor, incandescent Y electric lamps connected in-series With said lconductor and spaced at approximately equal distances along the length thereof, Aresistances also connected inl series with said main conductor so 'as to form shunts around the lamps, ground connections at each end of the main conductor, and a lamp Without a resistanceshunt in each ground connection, said lamps in the ground connections being of a different color from those in the main circuit.

7. In a signaling system Jfor a railroad divided into a plurality of signal-blocks, the combination of a main conductor extending along said block, a plurality of green electric incandescent lamps connected in series with said conductor and `spaced at approximately equaldistances along the length thereof, a normallyl closedv ground connection at each end of the main conductor, a normally open feed connection, circuit-controlling devices 4 adapted to be operated by a'car entering a block to close the feed connection and open the ground connection'at the end of the block at which the car enters, a red incandescent electric lamp included in each ground connection and located a short 4distance beyend the last green lamp at each end of the block and a contact-making device for operating the circuit-controlling devices located at each end of the block between the red lamp and the first green lamp.

8. In a signaling system fora railroad divided i-nto a plurality of signal-blocks, the

combination of a main conductor extendingY along said block, a plurality of green electric incandescent lamps connected in series with such conductor and spaced at approximately equal distances along the length thereof, a resistance connected in shunt around each lamp,

l a normally closed ground connection at each end of the main conductor, a normally open A feed connection at each end of the main conductor, circuit-controlling devices adapted to l i be operatedby a car entering a block to close the feedY connection and open the ground connection at the end of the block at Which the car enters, and a red incandescent electric lamp included in each ground connection. i

Signed ,at Lansford, Pennsylvania, this 2d day of October, 1902.

HOWELL W. SOUDER.

Witnesses:

JNo.`W. WERNER, E. E. WERNER.

TOO 

